NEW YORK—The Super Bowl of eating competitions, Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog-Eating Contest, will take place on Coney Island Wednesday, July 4. Competitors lined up for a weigh in and to discuss their strategies at City Hall Park Tuesday.
“Tomorrow tens of thousands of people will line the Coney Island boardwalk to see the big event. They will come to find out if Joey ‘Jaws’ Chestnut will swallow the competition and take home a sixth straight title,” Mayor Michael Bloomberg said in a pun-filled speech that had him questioning his speech writer.
Chestnut, the defending men’s champion who weighed in at 210 pounds, looked focused and ready to break his record of 68 hot dogs set in 2009. The defending champ said he has been prepping for six weeks, including practice contests before fasting and going on a liquid diet.
The mental preparation has been just as key, “It’s mostly convincing my body it is alright to accept that much food and getting my body used to digesting that ridiculous amount,” Chestnut said.
He said by fasting days before he knows his stomach is empty, a strategy he uses to push himself. “I practice ignoring feelings. Hunger is a feeling … so is full. I know I am empty,” Chestnut said. “When I am slowing down I say I still have room in me, I can push a little harder.”
